Bruises
by Scarpaw
Summary: Both watched, frightened, as his shadow made his way towards hers, arms raised. They were frozen in place, watching as his shadow pushed hers and she went flying backwards down the stairs... Young!Ryou fic


Again, probably a ton of errors, but hey, what can I say? Another Young!Ryou fic, this time with both Amane, and an appearance by Bakura! ^_^

Read the story please!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh **

_**Bruises** _

"Big brother, what are those?" Amane's voice echoed like a bat's sonar through the night as she stood at the entrance to her brother's bedroom. The door had been left open, and as she had passed it on her way to her own room after ballet practice, she had spotted her brother changing. His shirt had been off, revealing a back with weird little purple splotches all over it. Ryou had tensed, but he recovered quickly.

"They're nothing," Ryou told Amane calmly, hand darting for his shirt. Amane's head cocked to the side as she studied the purple splotches. Then, quick as a whip, she was in the room getting a closer look at the splotches.

"Are you sure?" Amane's voice radiated from behind Ryou, causing Ryou to squeak and jump in surprise, whirling around and dropping his shirt on the floor. Amane looked at her brother's front to see even more purple splotches.

"It's nothing Amane," Ryou waved his sister off, a nagging feeling biting at the corner of his conscience. "How was ballet?" The distraction seemed futile, as Amane studied the splotches closer.

"They make cool designs big brother!" Amane squealed as she circled her brother, examining them. "Right there is a ballet slipper," Her finger traced lightly over a splotch near his heart. "A bat here." She jabbed her finger lightly on a splotch near her brother's stomach, not noticing the not-so-sharp intake of breath made by Ryou.

Amane continued to circle Ryou almost predatorily, pointing out different shapes the splotches made. ("Ooh, lookie! It's shaped like your necklace!") Ryou really wanted his little sister to leave then so he could put a shirt on, and so Mother wouldn't find out. Yet, even Ryou knew, that once Amane found something that interested her, she'd be telling everybody about. Looked like Ryou's bruises were going to be the topic of discussion this evening at dinner.

"And a Kuriboh right here!" Amane finished, jabbing her finger harshly onto a mark on Ryou's back, right by his collar one, close to his neck. Ryou let out a pained cry, and Amane jumped, hands flying to her mouth as she stumbled over apologies to her brother.

"I'm sorry big brother!" Amanecried. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! I'm sorry!" Ryou grimaced as he managed a small reassuring smile.

"It's alright Amane," He grimaced. "No harm done." Amane looked up at him with wide fearful eyes.

"Are you sure big brother?" She asked him tenatively, and he nodded.

"Can you leave me alone for a bit please Amane?" Ryou asked his little sister, and she nodded and scampered out of the room. Once she was out, Ryou made his way over to the door and shut it. Walking back by his bed, he picked up his shirt and slipped it over his head, effectively hiding the bruises. Casting a glance towards his end table by his bed, his gaze zoned in on one thing- a necklace.

Well, not a necklace, per se, but close enough. It was a circle with a pyramid with an eye in the middle of it with five spikes hanging off of it. Its chain was a leather cord, and it sat seemingly harmless on the end table.

Ryou knew better.

Father had gotten that necklace for him last month, when he came home from a trip to Egypt. Amane had wailed about how she wanted it, but it had been given to Ryou as his birthday present. Amane had been mad for a few days, but the animosity had lasted less than a week before she determined that being mad at her big brother over a necklace was stupid.  
Ryou knew it was horrible of him to think like that, but sometimes he wished that Father had given her the necklace instead of him. That way he wouldn't be tortured so by it. Countless times he had asked himself, 'Why me?' only to get now answer.

Thinking back to his bruises, he bit his lip as he tried to fabricate a plausible lie on how he got them. He couldn't very well tell Mother and Father that the necklace Father had gotten him gave him those bruises. They would probably send him off to some hospital, for the sole reason inanimate objects can't hurt people.

Again, Ryou knew better.

Ryou didn't know how to explain it, but it was the necklace that gave him those bruises. He himself was still unsure on how it gave him the bruises, but he knew that the necklace had given him those bruises. And Ryou had a feeling that the bruises he acquired from the necklace were connected to the voices he had started hearing a few days after he had gotten it as well. Not like he'd ever admit to Mother or Father that he was hearing voices, that was.

"Suppertime big brother!" Amane's voice sang from the doorway, causing Ryou to jump. Had he really been so deep in thought to not notice Amane had opened the door? It didn't take long for Amane to notice what Ryou had been staring at, and her eyes lit up at the sight of the necklace.

"Can I wear it tonight big brother?" Amane pleaded. "Please? Just for supper? I'll return it right after!" No. That was the answer hanging on the tip of his tongue. No, I don't want you to get hurt.

"Sure." Ryou found himself telling his little sister. He really didn't want Amane wearing it, but what would he do when he told her no? That the necklace was possessed and would hurt her if she wore it? Amane wouldn't believe that. She admantly refused to believe there was such things as ghosts or spirits.

"Thank you big brother!" Amane cried, throing herself onto her brother, hugging him in thanks, completely forgetting about his bruises. Ryou bit back a cry of pain and waited patiently in pain until Amane let him go and grabbed the necklace by the leather cord. In a flash she was skipping out of the room, Ryou following somberly behind her.

Amane was at the head of the steps when she slipped the cord over her head and let the necklace fall heavily onto her chest. Ryou followed close behind her, waiting for her to start down the steps as she turned around.

"Thanks again big brother!" Amane thanked him, preparing to turn back around when something caught both their eyes.

It was Ryou's shadow.

Moving of its own accord.

Both children watched fearfully as the shadow moved, not quite stepping away from Ryou but stepping away from him, towards Amane. They both heard Mother call them, but neither could move. They were frozen in place with fear. Amane and Ryou watched as the shadow lifted its arms as it made its way to Amane's shadow.

What happened next was something that neither Ryou nor Amane would be able to understand.

Ryou's shadow pushed Amane's shadow, and the next thing either of them knew, Amane was falling backwards down the flight of stairs. Both kids screamed as Amane and her shadow proceeded to do a backflip down the stairs. At the top of the stairs, Ryou had a frightened look as he cowered, brain not quite comprehending what exactly he had just seen. His shadow, on the other hand, was standing with a cocky air about it, like it was proud of what it had just done.

Ryou flew down the stairs to his sister's side while Mother and Father came out of the kitchen to see why their kids were screaming.

Later as they were driving to the hospital, all Mother could get out of Ryou was,

"He pushed her..."

Neither parents knew who 'he' was, and neither quite understood what their daughter meant when she said,

"Now I look almost exactly like you, big brother!" When she was looking at her new bruises.

_**The End**_

The shadow is quite obviously Bakura. I know this contradicts alot with my short story **_Rain_**, but hey, there a different views for everything.

Please Read and Review and tell me what you think!

~~Paw-Chan Signing Out~~


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